S4 E1 (9 Oct 01) : Rogue Males by Al Hunter-Ashton
Episode Summary
It’s the first time we meet Ric Griffin, who announces that Mr Meyer is taking him out for lunch to celebrate his position as Surgical Consultant being made permanent now that the Trust are sure that Mike Barratt is not going to return. Sam and Alex congratulate him and begin flirting with one another, although Sam claims that her days of lusting after Alex are over. Alex receives a phone call from Mr Meyer who informs him that he will be at the hospital in thirty-eight minutes.
After hanging up Mr Meyer overtakes a Land Rover. The driver forces Meyer’s car off of the road and drags him out of his car so that he can punch him and tick him off for cutting him up. Meyer makes a note of the registration number, which agitates the driver even further, and he returns with a gun. After shooting Anton and leaving him at the roadside, the man drives off but his wife is far from happy and they crash into an oncoming van during their argument. With her husband badly hurt, the woman takes Anton’s keys and helps herself to his car.
Back at the hospital, Alex is called down to A&E to treat a Mr Northam, who claims to have fallen down the stairs, although the staff are certain that he is an RTA victim. Alex inserts a chest drain, unaware that he is treating the man who has just shot his boss. Mrs Northam can’t stand to watch, so Alex goes outside once he has finished with Mr Northam to inform her that her husband will have to be kept in overnight for observation.
Ric is also outside the hospital, awaiting the arrival of a patient with a gunshot wound. He is shocked to discover that the patient is none other than his colleague and old friend, Anton Meyer. The rest of the staff are just as surprised to see their Clinical Director in the operating theatre but Ric asks Kath to inform the Darwin staff and keep the news under wraps.
On Darwin Ward all of the staff are trying to reassure Raj Hasani, who is meant to be undergoing a heart bypass operation, but with no sign of Mr Meyer, all he can do is wait. He is pleased to have escaped the procedure but his heavily pregnant daughter is becoming more concerned. Unable to operate on Raj without a consultant, Sam and Alex get on with removing Mr Langley’s sternal wires. Their flirty banter continues until Alex finds out that Meyer is in the neighbouring theatre undergoing surgery and decides to barge in, much to Ric’s annoyance. Anton’s x-ray results show that the bullet is lodged close to his spine and aorta and also find that the bullet has been tampered with. Stopping Anton from bleeding to death is enough for Ric, who wants to leave the removal of the bullet to an army expert he knows. Unfortunately, the expert is in Kosovo and the best he can offer Ric is some advice and a video. Reluctantly, Ric and Tash go ahead with the risky procedure and succeed in safely removing the bullet.
On Otter Ward, a young foreign woman, Marija, has brought her son Luca in for treatment. He has a chest infection and a heart murmur. Danny takes a shine to the pretty young mum who is clearly concerned for her son and Steve warns him not to get involved. After tests Luca is diagnosed with a PDA, an extra blood vessel that is on the outside of the heart and will require surgery.
Stan and Sandy, who are already bored of Chrissie’s bossiness, are frustrated further to learn that Alistair Taylor, a ‘pompus git’ as Sandy refers to him, will be covering for Mr Meyer on the ward. Stan cheers her up by telling her that at Chrissie’s last hospital, she had the nickname Cruella De Vil! Chrissie and Alistair Taylor hit it off after Chrissie sings his praises in front of Raj Hasani, who needs even more coaxing into theatre after his daughter goes into premature labour. Shireen Hasani confides in Sam that her mother died during childbirth in the same hospital and that is why her father can’t stand to be there.
After discussing Meyer’s attack with his colleagues Alex realises that he saw Mrs Northam drive off in Meyer’s car, but Alistair insists that he leaves the investigating to the police and carry on with his work. Just as Raj Hasani is being taken down to theatre, Bob Northam tries to make his escape, causing his chest drain to move and burst an artery. Raj’s operation has to be postponed as Bob Northam is rushed into theatre. In an attempt to keep his worries to a minimum, Chrissie doesn’t tell him that his daughter is giving birth but panicking about her whereabouts brings on a heart attack. He recovers and is overjoyed when his daughter comes up to visit with his new grandson.
At a quiet moment Mrs Northam returns to help her husband escape. He is clearly in agony but refuses to let her take him back. Sandy notices that he is missing and alerts Alex, who chases after him with Sam. Alex and Sam find Bob just outside the hospital where he collapses. Alex battles to save him while Sam restrains an emotional Mrs Northam but Bob dies.
(Nic)
